Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 2019 750ml

Distinguished as a fine Syrah producing zone since the 18th century, Cornas, like Cote Rotie, is made up of vineyards covering steep and hard-to-work, granite terraces. As a result the region’s wines fell out of favor during the mid 20th century when the global market was more focused on bulk wines and vineyards that yielded high quantities. It wasn’t until the 1980s when a group of energetic young winemakers reestablished the integrity of these precipitous terraces and also began making an ultra-modern style of Syrah. The new style didn’t need a decade before it was drinkable and could reach the consumer faster than the region’s traditional wines. Given the new quality coming out of the zone, its popularity once again soared and today a good Cornas can easily challenge many of those from Hermitage. Characteristics of Syrah from Cornas include teeth-staining flavors of blackberry jam, plum, pepper, violets, smoked game, charcoal, chalk dust and smoke.

Josh Raynolds writes: Glass-staining violet. Heady, mineral-accented black and blue fruits, candied licorice, potpourri, exotic spices and olive scents on the intensely perfumed nose. Pliant, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering deeply concentrated blackberry, cassis, fruitcake, smoky bacon and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Shows superb depth as well as liveliness and finishes wonderfully long and minerally, with resonating florality and polished tannins adding shape and a firming grip. Drinking 2029 - 2039 - Vinous 98

Jeb Dunnuck writes: The flagship 2019 Cornas Reynard comes from the older vines of the estate and is brought up in larger barrels. It's another incredible effort from this estate that certainly checks in near the top of the scale. Deep purple/plum-hued, with a monster bouquet of black cherries and plum fruits as well as hints of iron, sappy flowers, and bouquet garni, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a great finish. It shows the more structured, age-worthy style of the vintage, and the tannins clamp down firmly on the finish. While this will need a solid decade of bottle age, it's up there with some of the greatest Cornas ever produced. Drinking after 2032 - Jeb Dunnuck 97+

Alistair Cooper MW writes: Sample 1 Stunning dense purple core. Intense reductive wild and smoky nose with roasted game. Such intensity on the palate with bacon, violets and saline mineral notes. Very firm tannins, very tight structure and stunning purity.
Sample 2 Vivid, vibrant, pure nose with blackcurrant and graphite mineral notes. Ripe and sweet fruit with finely polished tannins that support the vibrant acidity that runs throughout the spine of this wine. There's a suggestion of peppery, clove and eucalypt spice underneath just waiting to emerge with time. Impressive